David Bowie Boys Keep Swinging - Fantastic Voyage (1979 Germany PB 1585) estimated value € 5,00.
Label: RCA Victor – PB 1585
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Recorded at: September 1978: The initial backing tracks were recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland > March 1979: Vocals and final overdubs were completed at The Record Plant in New York City
Released: 1979
Country: Germany
“Boys Keep Swinging” was released as a single from the album Lodger on 27 April 1979.
Recording and release
During the Lodger recording sessions, Bowie wanted to capture a garage band style for the track. He agreed with Brian Eno that the best way to achieve this sound was to get the band to swap instruments, after this was suggested by Eno’s deck of Oblique Strategies cards, which supplied the instruction “Reverse Roles”. Guitarist Carlos Alomar played drums, while drummer Dennis Davis played bass.
Track listing
Side A – Boys Keep Swinging – 3:17
Music / Text – David Bowie, Brian Eno
Producer – David Bowie, Tony Visconti
Side B – Fantastic Voyage – 2:55
Music / Text – David Bowie, Brian Eno
Producer – David Bowie, Tony Visconti
Description
Media Condition
Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)
Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)
Ring wear: No
All three seams looking perfect: Yes
Picture sleeve looks near mint: Yes
Creases or folds: No
Stamps or writing: No
“Boys Keep Swinging” has exactly the same chord sequence as the song “Fantastic Voyage” from the same album, which also served as the B-side to the single. RCA decided against releasing the single in the United States, opting instead for “Look Back in Anger”. Bowie performed the track with a puppet-body special effect on Saturday Night Live on 15 December 1979, joined by Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias as backing singers. During the broadcast, NBC censors muted the lines “life’s a pop o’ the cherry” and “other boys check you out”, but failed to notice the puppet’s bouncing phallus at the close of the performance.
The song reached No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, returning Bowie to the Top 10 for the first time since “Sound and Vision” in February 1977. It was performed on only one tour, the 1995 Outside Tour. Interviewed in 2000, Bowie stated: “I do not feel that there is anything remotely glorious about being either male or female. I was merely playing on the idea of the colonization of gender.”
Production credits
Producers:
Tony Visconti
David Bowie
Musicians:
David Bowie – lead vocals, guitar on “Boys Keep Swinging”, piano on “Fantastic Voyage”
Adrian Belew – guitar on “Boys Keep Swinging”, mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”
Dennis Davis – bass guitar on “Boys Keep Swinging”, percussion on “Fantastic Voyage”
Tony Visconti – bass guitar on “Boys Keep Swinging”, mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”, backing vocals on “Fantastic Voyage”
Carlos Alomar – drums on “Boys Keep Swinging”
Brian Eno – piano on “Boys Keep Swinging”, ambient drone on “Fantastic Voyage”
Simon House – violin on “Boys Keep Swinging”, mandolin on “Fantastic Voyage”
Sean Mayes – piano on “Fantastic Voyage”
Key Production Details
Instrument swapping: To achieve a raw garage-band sound, Bowie followed Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies suggestion “Reverse Roles”. As a result, Carlos Alomar played drums and Dennis Davis played bass, later reinforced by Tony Visconti.
Collaboration: The track was co-produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti and features a distinctive guitar solo by Adrian Belew.
Album and release: “Boys Keep Swinging” was the lead single from Lodger, the final album of the Berlin Trilogy, released on 27 April 1979.
Notable Performances
The Kenny Everett Video Show: A separate performance was recorded on 8–9 April 1979 at Good Earth Studios in London specifically for the television broadcast.
Saturday Night Live: Bowie performed the song on 15 December 1979 using a puppet-body effect to evade live broadcast censorship.